Method of skirting a mobile home

ABSTRACT

Method of skirting a mobile home comprising applying to a side of said mobile home means forming a track and individually inserting in said track a plurality of panels in edge overlapping relationship to each other so as to permit relative vertical movement between adjacent panels, said panels being vertically slidable in said track when they are moved vertically on account of weather changes.

1 METHOD OF SKIRTING A MOBILE HOME This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 89,780, filed Nov. 16, 1970, now abandoned, which continuation in part of my prior `Copending patent application Ser. No. 774,845, filed Nov. l2, 1968, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,571,998.

My invention relates to mobile homes.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of an improved method of skirting a mobile home by which simplification is accomplished in skirting mobile homes with consequent reduction in labor costs.

The foregoing object of my invention and its advantages will become apparent during the course of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of mobile home skirting illustrating my method of skirting a mobile home; FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of said mobile home skirting; FIGS. 3 and 4 are, respectively, front elevational and top plan views of parts of said mobile home skirting; and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, 5 generally designates said mobile skirting which comprises edge overlapped panels 6 and top and bottom tracks 8 and 9, respectively. Each panel 6 has a flat main body portion 10 spaced apa'rt from two inwardly pressed flat opposite end portions 11 and 12 parallel to said main body portion 10. The portion 10 which is a major portion of each panel 6 forms a front wall thereof and the portion 12 which is a minor portion of the panel 6 forms a back wall thereof. The end portion 11 is part of a male end of the panel 6 and the end portion 12 is part of a female end on the panel 6. The male end is formed of two bends having obtuse included angles and is received inside of a female end of an adjacent panel by edge overlapping, i.e., laying an edge of one panel upon an edge of another. The female end is formed of three bends having obtuse included angles forming a pocket which receives the male end of an adjacent panel by overlapping and wraps around behind the same. The panels 6 when not retained in said tracks 8 and 9, are thus freely moveable face to face toward and away from each other. The porstion 11 and l2 of overlapped panels are in face contacting contiguous relationship. Each panel 6 also includes a central rib formed of four bends having obtuse included angles and which includes an inwardly pressed flat portion 13 parallel to said main body portion l0 and disposed in a common plane with the end portions l1 and 12. The front wall 10 of each panel 6 has top and bottom locking means 14 and 15, respectively, in the form of severed protuberances outwardly punched from the main body portion 10 which lock with the front walls of the top and bottom tracks 8 and 9, respectively. The locking means 14 and 15 are arranged in top and bottom pairs on each panel 6and operate downwardly and upwardly, respectively, against the front edges of their respective tracks. The back wall 12 of each panel and the back wall of each track are formed for free engagement relative to each other, i.e., they have no mutually engageable locking means therebetween.

The top track 8 has spaced apart front and back walls forming an elongated cavity in which the panels 6 can slide upwardly when the bottom track 9 rises from frost in the ground. The front and back walls of the top track 8 are joined together and abut each other at the upper end of the track and said front wall of the top track 8 is doubly bent below said upper end so as to be spring biased toward said back wall and against the front wall of any panel disposed in said top track 8. The front wall of the top track 8 has an inwardly and reversely bent free end 16 which co-acts with the downwardly acting top panel locking means 14. The rear wall of the top track 8 has an outwardly flared end 17 which serves as a pilot for `insertion of the panels 6 into the top track 8. The bottom track 9 has spaced apart front and back walls forming a cavity which receives the panels 6. The front'wall of the bottom track 9 has an inwardly and reversely bent end 20 which co-acts with the upwardly acting bottom panel locking means 15. The rear wall of the bottom track 9 has an outwardly flared end 2l which serves as a pilot for insertion of the panels 6 into the bottom track 9. The bottom track 9 is provided with drain openings 22 in the front wall thereof at the junction with the bottom wall thereof.

Said mobile home skirting 5 is applied to a mobile home by attaching the. top track 8 to the mobile home and the bottom track 9 to footing beneath the mobile home.` The panels 6 are then installed each one first into the top track 8 and then into the bottom track 9 and one after the other in edge overlapping fashion. Because the panels 6 are installed by laying one over the other their installation proceeds rapidly without requiring any bending in the field. Once in place overlapped and in the tracks 8 and 9 the panels 6 are locked securely against dislodgment but nevertheless can be removed easily for alterations or repairs because they are installed by laying one over the other and because the main body portion 10 of each panel 6 can be flexed by pushing inwardly upon the same to unlock first the locking means l5'from the end 20 and then the locking means 14 from the end 16. Said mobile home skirting 5 is self-Ventilating via the path upwardly behind the main body portion 10, into the top track 8, and downwardly in front of the flat supporting portions ll, 12 and 13.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by my invention an improved method of skirting a mobile home in which the object hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages has been successfully achieved. While a preferred embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it is to be understood that variations and changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Method of skirting a mobile home comprising applying to a side of said mobile home means forming a track and individually inserting in said track a plurality of panels in edge overlapping relationship to each other so as to permit relative vertical movement between adjacent panels, said panels being vertically slidable in said track when they are moved vertically on account of weather changes.

2. Method of skirting a mobile home as claimed in claim 1, applying to the surface beneath said mobile` home means forming a track beneath said firstmentioned track,'and individually inserting in both of said tracks said panels in edge overlapping relationship to each other so as to permit relative vertical movement between adjacent panels, said panels being vertically slidable in the upper track when the lower track is moved vertically on account of weather changes` 3. Method of skirting a mobile home as claimed in claim 1, forming a lock on each panel and so inserting 5. Method of skirting a mobile home as claimed in claim 2, forming two locks on each panel and so inserting the panel in said tracks so as to render said locks operative in respect to respective edges of said tracks.

6. Method of skirting a mobile home as claimed in claim 5, forming both said locks on a flexible part of each panel so that said panel. can be flexed to render said locks inoperative during removal of said panel from said tracks. 

1. Method of skirting a mobile home comprising applying to a side of said mobile home means forming a track and individually inserting in said track a plurality of panels in edge overlapping relationship to each other so as to permit relative vertical movement between adjacent panels, said panels being vertically slidable in said track when they are moved vertically on account of weather changes.
 2. Method of skirting a mobile home as claimed in claim 1, applying to the surface beneath said mobile home means forming a track beneath said first-mentioned track, and individually inserting in both of said tracks said panels in edge overlapping relationship to each other so as to permit relative vertical movement between adjacent panels, said panels being vertically slidable in the upper track when the lower track is moved vertically on account of weather changes.
 3. Method of skirting a mobile home as claimed in claim 1, forming a lock on each panel and so inserting the panel in said track as to render said lock operative in respect to an edge of said track.
 4. Method of skirting a mobil home as claimed in claim 3, forming said lock on a flexible part of each panel so that said panel can be flexed to render said lock inoperative during removal of said panel from said track.
 5. Method of skirting a mobile home as claimed in claim 2, forming two locks on each panel and so inserting the panel in said tracks so as to render said locks operative in respect to respective edges of said tracks.
 6. Method of skirting a mobile home as claimed in claim 5, forming both said locks on a flexible part of each panel so that said panel can be flexed to render said locks inoperative during removal of said panel from said tracks. 